Burning Others to Fulfill Oneself
No one understood Yamamoto's strength better than Naraku Sora.
Before mastering Hollowfication, Yamamoto was undoubtedly the strongest Soul Reaper.
Those stronger than him had clearly transcended the realm of Soul Reapers.
Examples included Hyōsube Ichibē, who had lived for a million years; Yhwach, who had regained all his power; and the Spirit King, the linchpin of the three realms.
However, after mastering Hollowfication, Yamamoto had shattered his original soul boundary and officially stepped into the realm of a Transcendent.
The gap between him and those beings was constantly shrinking.
Therefore, if Sora wanted to earn Yamamoto's acknowledgment, he had to give it his all and reveal his true trump card.
Although the tactic of simply outlasting the old man was effective, if he really dragged it out, Hueco Mundo would probably collapse before their battle even finished.
This much could be seen from the spectators in the distance.
Those slightly weaker, like Urahara Kisuke, had already resorted to using their Bankai just to alleviate the pressure on themselves.
Realizing this, Naraku Sora no longer held back. With a flick of his wrist, the pitch-black branches on his blade continuously extended outward, recklessly distorting the space around them.
An abyssal eruption of Reiatsu silenced the entire battlefield. A bizarre and oppressive black-purple aura continuously surged, gradually swallowing his Zanpakutō whole.
*Hum—*
Space twisted madly as deep, intricate patterns scattered around the black-purple aura.
A heavy, mighty torrent flowed endlessly and recklessly.
The next second, an apocalyptic roar echoed beneath the crescent moon. The materialized black-purple torrent transformed into a ferocious giant dragon, its cold gaze fixed on the old man below.
"Goryūtenmetsu?"
A hint of shock flashed through Yamamoto's eyes as he muttered, his voice echoing in the wind.
"I do not recall ever teaching you such a dangerous technique."
"However, if this is the extent of your abilities, it is not enough to earn my acknowledgment."
Naraku Sora's mouth curled into a ferocious, savage smile. "Of course there's more!"
As his words fell, thick black-red lightning surged and leaped wildly. The surrounding space let out an overwhelmed wail, the sound of shattering echoing incessantly.
The air across the entire battlefield seemed to freeze at this moment.
Surprisingly, the giant purple dragon towering in the sky, looking down on everything, did not launch an attack at Yamamoto.
Instead, after a cold sweeping glance, its massive form instantly melted away, entirely submerging into the heavy blade.
In the distance, Aizen's pupils shrank upon seeing this, suddenly realizing something.
The next second, he appeared in front of the crowd. A transparent barrier, like a city wall, descended from the sky and plunged deep into the silver sand.
Kyōraku Shunsui looked at the Squad 5 Lieutenant in surprise, a flash of confusion in his eyes.
No Kidō incantation, not even any excess movements—he instantly cast a Bakudō #81: Dankū of this magnitude without any wind-up?
Wasn't this Aizen guy supposed to just be a scientist who excelled at research?
How could he possess such power?
A Dankū of this level... even Hirako Shinji, no, even if he himself tried, he probably couldn't pull it off, right?
The others also noticed this, expressions of disbelief appearing on their faces.
He was clearly just a Lieutenant, yet he displayed a level of strength that even they, as Captains, could not match. It was simply inconceivable!
Urahara Kisuke silently stared at Aizen's back, a thoughtful look flashing through his eyes.
This scene was somewhat beyond his expectations.
Yamamoto watched as Goryūtenmetsu merged into the Zanpakutō, instantly dyeing the blade a bizarre black-purple. His aged face immediately grew solemn.
Only then did he remember that his exceptionally talented, rebellious disciple had once developed a high-level combat technique that fused Kidō and Zanjutsu.
If he remembered correctly, to accomplish this technique, one needed a flawless comprehension of the individual Kidō.
An ordinary Soul Reaper would spend an untold amount of time just to learn a single high-level Hadō, but for Naraku Sora, he threw them around as if they cost him nothing.
From Hadō #88: Hiryū Gekizoku Shinten Raihō, to the current Hadō #99: Goryūtenmetsu.
Even the Soul Reaper who originally created the concept of Kidō probably couldn't achieve this level, right?
What was even more exaggerated was that this kid not only learned them but could even further develop the Kidō, allowing them to erupt with destructive power that surpassed their limits.
Such as the current technique before him—Kidō Swordsmanship.
A Zanjutsu fused with Hadō #99?
An expectant expression appeared on Yamamoto's face. As he stretched his body, his joints rubbed against each other, instantly emitting a terrifying sound like snapping bowstrings.
His already exaggerated muscles instantly bulged, highlighting the hideous scars upon them. A terrifying pressure, akin to a collapsing mountain peak, swept out.
Since his rebellious disciple had revealed his true trump card, as his teacher, he naturally couldn't slack off either.
The surging momentum felt like the heavens and earth were overturning as the heavy, scorching air abruptly pressed down.
The devastated desert let out a wail, and the colors of the world were reduced to pure black and white at this moment.
Yamamoto grinned and swung his ultimate strike at his rebellious disciple.
"Zanka no Tachi, North: Tenchi Kaijin!!"
Naraku Sora revealed an identical smile. Black-red lightning, resembling a python-dragon, clung to his blade as he slashed forward to meet the all-annihilating blade light.
"Black Flash: Goryūtenmetsu!"
The perfectly mastered Hadō #99 revealed its true ferocity at this moment.
The tyrannical black-red lightning surged out, blasting a massive expanse of space ahead into collapse, revealing the profound Dangai.
When the two Zanpakutō, exceeding the limits of what the desert could withstand, violently clashed, the world seemed to stand still.
All things fell silent.
The next second, a terrifying, intense light symbolizing destruction erupted from the collision, sweeping and spreading in all directions, swallowing everything.
It crushed the desert, tore open the earth, pierced through the clouds, and shook the sky.
Pure destruction turned into a tidal wave, surging straight ahead and stretching to the edge of sight.
This scene was just like—
Just like the entire night sky had completely collapsed and shattered, revealing an even more profound pitch-blackness.
The terrifying explosion expanded their battlefield to thousands of kilometers.
The radiating shockwaves extended to the ends of the world. Even Las Noches, far away in the core of Hueco Mundo, felt the heart-palpitating tremors.
Aizen's face revealed a hint of surprise as he clearly saw the cracks appearing on his Dankū barrier.
It actually struggled to withstand even the shockwaves?
Just how terrifying was the center of those two's collision?
Kyōraku Shunsui pressed down on his bamboo hat, which was nearly blown away by the gale, his eyes filled with uncontrollable horror.
Thank goodness this hot-headed old man and youth hadn't held their battle in the Soul Society.
Otherwise, the entire Seireitei would cease to exist, and it would even spill over into the Rukongai.
Speaking of which, there hadn't been any movement for so long. Did something happen?
Just as Kyōraku Shunsui was worrying, a scorching foehn wind kicked up, howling as it swept the dust waves that spanned thousands of kilometers in all directions.
The originally boundless desert had completely vanished, replaced by a massive basin resembling a sinkhole.
At the very bottom, countless cracks crisscrossed. Scorching magma surged within them, occasionally splashing out golden-red waves.
Amidst the blazing heat, two figures stood facing each other, standing tall like stone monuments at the bottom of the pit.
Yamamoto looked at Naraku Sora calmly, a hint of gratification flashing in his eyes.
Across the old man's chest, a hideous slash mark pierced through his entire body, nearly cutting him in half at the waist.
With such a terrifying injury, if it were the him from before, he would have already reported to Hell.
But now, everything was different.
On the other side.
Having practically tanked Yamamoto's Tenchi Kaijin head-on, there was barely a patch of intact flesh left on Naraku Sora's entire body.
His skin was cracked with countless fissures, like a porcelain doll. With just a slight touch, his entire body might shatter into pieces.
Before his blood could even seep out, it was instantly evaporated by the terrifying high temperature.
His right arm was practically ruined. The white bone at his elbow joint pierced through his flesh, exposed starkly to the air, looking exceptionally gruesome.
However, not a single trace of pain could be seen on Naraku Sora's face. The eyes looking forward were still bright and piercing, even carrying a hint of exhilarated laughter.
He did it.
Every effort yields a reward. By fighting Yamamoto with all his might, he had finally gained this stubborn old man's acknowledgment.
When Yamamoto nodded in acknowledgment, the air in front of Naraku Sora rippled like mermaid silk, and a black light screen visible only to him quietly emerged.
His Reiatsu retracted, entirely submerging into Naraku Sora's body. A dull sound, like a heavenly drum, echoed within his chest as a brand-new metamorphosis began.
Amidst the peculiar sound of writhing flesh and blood, his hideous injuries healed at a visible rate.
Muscle fibers intertwined and tangled together, as if a pair of invisible hands were stitching his cracked skin back together.
The next moment, black-red intertwined lightning flickered within Naraku Sora's pupils.
It was like the descent of divine punishment.
Bizarrely, his originally terrifying Reiatsu completely vanished at this instant.
When the arriving crowd noticed this, their expressions drastically changed, subconsciously assuming something bad had happened to Naraku Sora.
However, that heavy aura not only didn't diminish but showed signs of intensifying.
It was heart-palpitating!
But even as Naraku Sora began to stretch his body, familiarizing himself with his changes, they still couldn't detect a single trace of Reiatsu.
Aizen seemed to sense the crowd's thoughts and softly provided the answer.
"When the gap in Reiatsu is too vast, the weak will be unable to perceive the Reiatsu of the strong."
Unlike Urahara Kisuke and the others, in his eyes, Naraku Sora was like a sun walking across the desert.
His threat level was not the slightest bit inferior to Yamamoto not far away.
In some aspects, he even surpassed him.
With multiple factors stacked together, if the current Naraku Sora were to fight Yamamoto again, it absolutely wouldn't end with him in his current state.
Did he use that unknown, special method to break through to a higher level?
Such a state could no longer be considered a Soul Reaper.
Perhaps he should be called—a Transcendent.
At the thought of the obnoxious attitude a certain someone might show next, Aizen felt a little unwell.